‘You can all be legends’ LE TISS’ RALLYING CALL
MATT LE TISSIER wants the Southampton players to make history today and become club legends – just like himself.
No Saints player, past or present, is hero-worshipped like Le Tissier, who spent his entire career on the south coast from 1986 to 2002.
The mercurial England forward was the club’s leading force throughout that period, scoring sackfuls of sensational screamers and almost single-handedly keeping them in the top flight year after year.
But despite all those personal feats, Le Tiss never managed to reach a major final with his beloved Saints, let alone win any silverware.
Which is why he is urging Claude Puel’s class of 2017 to grab their chance of Wembley glory when they face Manchester United in the League Cup Final.
Le Tissier, who scored 209 goals in 540 games for the Saints, said: “If they win at Wembley, it will be a fantastic step forward for the club.
“They have improved their league position every season since finishing seventh in League One in 2010 but the one thing missing has been a decent cup run.
“Now they have got themselves into a final and have the opportunity to win the club’s first major trophy in 41 years.
“We have only ever won one piece of silverware i n our history, so to double that would be quite something. “The guys who won the FA Cup for Southampton in 1976 are still revered here to this day. “This is a chance for the current players to put themselves down as legends at Southampton Football Club for the rest of their lives.” Of course, in 1976 Manchester United were the giantkilling victims of Second Division Southampton. Though the gap in class is significantly smaller this time round, Jose Mourinho’s Red Devils are still strong favourites for the meeting this afternoon. But having seen Puel’s men take out Arsenal and Liverpool en route to today’s showpiece – and with them yet to concede a goal in the competition – Le Tiss is quietly confident. Further boosting his optimism is the fact Saints have had two weeks off while United have been involved in FA Cup and Europa League clashes. “Hopefully, t hat makes a difference and evens things out a little,” said Sky Sports TV pundit Le Tissier, 48. “Three games in 15 days for United doesn’t sound a great deal but when Southampton have had none, you know the fresher team coming into the final will be us.”
If they do cause an upset, the impact on Southampton could be huge in terms of holding on to star names, rather t han always selling them, according to Le Tissier.
He added: “It will be a nother building block for the club and how they want to be seen. If you are in the mix for a spot in Europe every s eason it means you can attract players a little easier – and hopefully, keep them a little longer.”